The Journal of Insights Through Reflections On Nature

I was sorting through some of my digital images on my hard drive and came across this photo of my son and I during the 2008 spring wildflower season in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. It was the middle of the day and we had been out since sunrise. The wind was howling and with sustained speeds of 20 to 25 mph! Finding it difficult to work under the darkcloth without my son’s help, I took his digital camera and placed it on a tripod. Pointed it back at us and we started to pose.

Camera Man and Lens Boy .

So here Camera Man and his faithful sidekick, Lens Boy, are out catching rogue light rays among the fleeting moments of time.

We had so much fun that day goofing around together, bonding, and falling in love again. Its hard at times to be a kid, to play as a kid or to even bring our persective back to that of a child. But it is what keeps the heart young, seeing the world through the eyes of a child. And what makes moments like this so magical and important is that it brings a parent and child very close to one another, so close in fact that very deep inner thoughts are shared. And through that sharing we discover so much about each other.

On the last night of this specific trip, after dinner as we snuggled up in our sleeping bags amidst the absolutely silent darkness, my son said something to me that will stay with me forever. He said, “I don’t want to go back home tomorrow, and I wish this did not have to end”. I asked why and he replied, “out here we don’t have anything to worry about”.

He, at only 11 years old, figured out what most people will never figure out in their entier lives – that in the wilderness a soul can find peace, while back in the material world all we do, day in day out, is toil and worry. Building that foundation of love for the natural world starts young. And I hope that someday, when he has to explain his life philosophy, that he will look back on this trip and make it a pivotal point in his life.